Migraine. Whenever I hear that word, I chuckle to myself. I mean, really, how can you get such a bad headache that you can’t be up and about? Can it really hurt that bad? This ignorance of mine probably stems from the fact that I’ve only ever had sinus headaches.

Yesterday, about halfway through Sunday School Class, I noticed my vision was off. I was looking at one of the kids in my class and I could only see half her face. It was really strange – it was like there was a glare on everything I looked at with my left eye. Before church, I told Mom I was running to the bathroom to see if there was something in my eye, even though I didn’t feel anything. The bathroom mirror didn’t show anything either. When I got back to our pew, my head started to hurt. I confess, I didn’t sing one word in church yesterday. My head hurt worse than I thought anything could hurt. It felt like someone was hitting it with a hammer. Suddenly, in the middle of the sermon, my left hand and wrist went completely numb. I quickly wrote Mom a note, which I saw her show Dad and then Mom, David, and I got up to leave. As we were walking out the door, my left cheek went numb. We drove home so I could change and get comfortable in case I needed to go to the ER. As we got in the van, my loving and concerned brother asked, “Can we stop at McDonald’s and get a milkshake?”

I wished I was 10 years old right then so I didn’t have to make the decision to go to the hospital or not. We drove back to pick everyone up from church. On the way, David said, “Mommy, we forgot to get Kimmy some candy!”

Lesson #1 Candy fixes everything.

On the way back home (we DO live five minutes from church!) to drop everyone off so Mom, Dad, and I could go to the hospital, David said, “Do we have the stuff at home to make milkshakes?!” I love that boy.

My hand and cheek were only numb for a few minutes but my head was still pounding. The bumpy road didn’t help either.

At the ER, they made me do all kinds of funny things. For example, touch your nose with your index finger and then touch the nurse’s finger, back and forth as fast as you can. While I was waiting for a CT scan, the nurse gave me a shot to stop the headache. It made it worse. On a scale of 1-10, my pain was at 9 for a while. Once it started to get better, though, it got better fast.

Lesson #2 Wearing a hospital gown is just as bad as not wearing anything.

The CT scan went well. There was nothing wrong.

The doctor told me I had a complex migraine. The difference between a regular migraine and a complex one is that a complex migraine affects you neurologically. My loss of eyesight and the numbness were both caused by the headache. They hope that it was just a one-time thing. You and me both, brother!

Lesson #3 Yes, you can have a headache so bad that you can’t move around!

Lesson #4 Be more sensitive to others with migraines!

This was my first time at the ER. I’m not prone to accidents, so although my siblings have been there many, many times, I’ve never had to go.

I hope it never, ever, ever, happens again. But if it does…Well, I guess I’ll just have to trust the Lord!

Several years ago, I invented a holiday. On September 22, I remembered that it was Frodo’s and Bilbo’s (from Lord of the Rings) birthday. I then created Hobbit Day. Or so I thought. I later found out that the American Tolkien Society had already created it (in 1978!) and Lord of the Rings fans from around the world celebrated it. I was a little bummed that I didn’t really have the idea first but……

So, I know what you’re thinking…what a nerd! I know, I know. Hey, we all love Lord of the Rings here. The little girls can’t wait until they are old enough to watch the trilogy. Unfortunately for them, that won’t be for a while. We usually watch the series at least once a year and it must be the extended version, none of that cheap theatrical stuff. We also quote the movie often. Probably the most-quoted movie line at my house is, “But it is not this day!” We can’t get through two days without spouting this line for some reason. I do have a few pet peeves about those movies though- like how they completely changed Aragorn’s outlook on being king, how they added some non-existent romance, and don’t even get me started on how they ruined Faramir!

I love the books and movies for several reasons. The biggest reason is the conflict between good and evil. I love how there aren’t really any in-between characters- you are either good or evil but you can’t be both. I also love Sam. I love his loyalty, his courage, and his cheerfulness. He and Legolas are my favorite characters.

So, whether or not you think me a complete nerd or not, I wish you a very happy Hobbit Day and I leave you with my two favorite quotes from the said movies.

(Sam) I know. It’s all wrong. By rights we shouldn’t even be here. But we are. It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn’t want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn’t. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something. (Frodo)What are we holding onto Sam?(Sam) That there’s some good in this world and its worth fighting for.

(Gandalf, in reply to Frodo wishing that the ring had never come to him) So do all who live to see such times, but it is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time given to us.

Ahhh…it’s sooo good to be home! I had a great time on my trip. One day, we got to visit Charleston. We saw some lovely houses including one that is for sale- for sixteen million dollars! We also passed a cemetery and saw one gravestone- the person was born in 1630! By far, the coolest thing we saw were the fountains! In this one park in Charleston, kids are allowed to play in the fountains! The kids with us LOVED it. You really just wear your swimming suit and play in (not on) the fountains!

On my last day, I called my Mom to tell her that we were leaving in the morning and I would be home later the next night. She could tell from my voice that something wasn’t quite right. I knew that if I talked too much, I would start crying so it was only after some probing that she found out what was wrong.

“Well, I just really miss you all.”

“You’re homesick?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Well, we miss you too and can’t wait for you to get home. I love you, okay?”

“Okay.”

Oh, I wanted to be home sooo bad! It was the longest I had ever been away from home without any of my family with me. I missed everyone more than I thought I could.

After I got home, I was talking with my Mom.

“You were really homesick, weren’t you?”

“Yes.”

She chuckled. “You’re such a homebody.”

I looked up the definition of that word.

home·bod·y/ˈhōmˌbädē/

Noun:

A person who likes to stay at home, esp. one who is perceived as unadventurous.

I guess I am one. At least the first part of that definition. I love to be at home. As to the second part, maybe some would consider me unadventurous. I just like to think that I prefer to go on adventures with my family, not by myself. They are my favorite people in the world.

I read a lot! In fact, yesterday I ordered 7 new books! (In my defense, they were on sale!) I love to learn new things and new perspectives. I like to study the world’s philosophy and the biblical take on things and then compare them. Some of my favorite books are:

The Bible

The Hiding Place

The Truth War

Hard to Believe

So Much More

Joyfully at Home

Don’t Waste Your Life

Family Driven Faith

The Lord of the Rings

The Hobbit

The Dark is Rising Series

Raising Maidens of Virtue

God in the Manger

Evidence Not Seen

This list is very short and I could go on and on about my favorite books, but I wouldn’t want to bore you.

This is a list of books I plan to read in the near future:

Grudem’s Systematic Theology

John Calvin: a biography (one of the new ones I just ordered!)

The Answers Book

How to Dethrone the Imperial Judiciary (new one!)

How Shall We Then Live?

Glory, Duty, and the Gold Dome (new one!)

The Titanic’s Last Hero (new one!)

The Importance of the Electoral College (new one!)

Reformation and Revival: The Story of the English Puritans (new one!)

Bravest of the Brave (new one!)

I have a loved adopted uncle who is a pastor. He has an extensive library that I am welcome to borrow from, so this list is VERY skimpy. Ahhh, I could spend HOURS in his library….

I’m working on cataloging all our books. Right now, I’m at 200 and have barely scratched the surface…

At the moment, I’m reading Grace Unknown and a bunch of Macroeconomics study books!

When Mom was pregnant with David, she haemorrhaged and we thought she had had a miscarriage. As my Dad rushed her to the hospital, he hurriedly told me what happened and asked me not to tell my siblings. There was a reason for this. It was 2 or 3 days before our big family reunion and one part of the family was coming in that evening. He didn’t want the others to worry. He wanted them to enjoy our cousins that live at a distance and we don’t get to see very often. I cried buckets but somehow managed to hide them from my sisters. (Well, except for Caroline asking one time, “Are you crying?!” What are you talking about, you goose?) I had wanted this baby so bad! I LOVE babies! I was heartbroken at the thought of that little baby dead. Our family arrived and I quietly told my aunt and uncle what had happened. Their response: “Your mom is pregnant?!” I guess they missed the memo. When my Dad came home a while later, I was in another room. All I heard was, “The baby’s okay!” I think that is the only time in my life that I have literally fallen on my knees and thanked God! I was so very, very thankful!!! As it turned out, Mom had to stay on bed rest for the rest of the pregnancy and some months later a healthy, tall baby boy was born. I praised the Lord for His goodness to me!

David is THE baby. He has the funniest, cutest way of asking for things that he almost always gets it. Come on, just look at those dimples. Who could refuse them?!

On February 29, 2012, I sat David at the computer so he could play his ‘special school’ games. A minute later, I walked over to find him slumped against the back of the chair and his arms were jerking. His face was turning purple. “Mom, come here!” Caroline casually walked over to see what was going on. “Coming!’ called Mom, but it didn’t sound like she was moving real fast, so Caroline and I yelled together, “NOW!” She ran in. We originally thought he was choking because I had given him a piece of bread and it was sitting on the desk near him. Mom told me to go get Dad who just “happened” to be home that week. As I was coming with him, Mom yelled, “Call 911!” Dad grabbed the phone while Mom gave David the Heimlich to get him to breathe.

Rebecca came in the room and after one glance at what was going on, she ran sobbing to her room. I ran after her and hugged her as we cried together. We prayed over and over again for God to protect David and help us. I had to leave her to help Mom. The ambulance was on its way and David was semi-conscious. It was at this moment that I gathered my wits and remembered that I had set MY bread on the desk when I found him in the chair. He wasn’t choking. He tried to walk but just stumbled around. Just as the EMTs entered our house, he lost consciousness. The thing that settled me the most was when they walked in the room. They asked what his name was and then while listening to his heart one said, “Hi David! We’re here to take care of you.” They quickly took him in the ambulance with Mom and Dad followed in the van. At that moment, I stopped crying. I knew that I was in charge now and if I was an emotional wreck, Becca and Bethany would be too. Caroline was the worst -she loves David very much. I called our dearest friend to tell her but I had to leave a message. I then called our pastor and his wife. At the time, they lived right down the road from us and she came right over to talk to Caroline. Then she sent it through our church’s prayer chain. And some other friends sent it through the homeschool group prayer chain and their churches’ prayer chains. And it seemed that within 15 minutes, everyone in the county knew about David. There were so many wonderful and concerned calls from friends to tell us they were praying for us and if we needed anything, just to call.

Through many tests, we found out that David had a seizure. For a while, I felt kind of guilty that I hadn’t remembered right away that the bread sitting there was mine. I knew David would have bruises from the Heimlich Maneuver. I felt like that until Mom told me that one of the doctors told her that that helped him to breathe again.

While he was in the hospital and after he was moved to one farther away, Caroline and I took care of the girls. We slept in the living room together at night and one night, we spent the night at a good friend’s house. They missed Mom a lot, especially Becca. She is such a Mommy’s Girl! But there were lots of calls to Mom (even with the cell phone breaking in the middle of all this) and we kept ourselves busy to keep their minds from worrying. He spent 2 days in the hospital.

David has had many seizures since that day. In fact, he had one just three days after he got out of the hospital. This time he spent four days in the hospital and we were able to visit one evening. It was so nice to see him and give him lots of kisses and hugs. He hasn’t had another one that caused him to stay in the hospital. With each seizure, they kept increasing his medicine dose. Finally, now, 6 months later, we have completely controlled all seizures and seizure activity. Praise the Lord!

It was quite an ordeal. In fact, even as I write this I am crying. But God is good! He’s always in control! I can see ways that we have grown closer together because of this and I praise the Lord for it!

When I look at David, I praise the Lord. I praise Him that He gave David to us and that He protected him through the seizures. This serves to remind me every day of the preciousness of life. It reminds me of the miracle of life.

Every time I look outside, I’m reminded that God is a God of order and beauty. The intricacies of plants and even the simplest organism are beyond my comprehension (believe me, I tried hard my year of biology!). It is truly an amazing Lord that I serve!

I grow flowers every year in my flower beds. My mom is a little envious of the soil in my garden, as it doesn’t compare to the clay *cough* I mean soil in the vegetable garden. Flowers bring such happiness to me and beauty to our yard!

Hi, my name is Kimmy and welcome to my blog! I am just a regular person saved by grace through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. A few of my interests are running, theology, horseback riding, baking, the flute, reading, and laughing with friends.

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Romans 12:1-2
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.